Charles Koh
Imagine walking into a Costco… and you got a chance to sample everything. I mean EVERYTHING. Well Taste Washington 2015, the nation’s largest single-region wine and food event, was an incredible display of Washington’s local tastes and bites, and was basically a Costco for your taste buds. They had everything you could ever want. The sheer size of the event, which was held at the CenturyLink Event Center on March 26-28, and the enormous representation of wineries and restaurants hits you like a brick wall as you walk into the space. Over 225 wineries represented, with 2 to 3 wines to be tasted? And to add to that, restaurants, coffeeshops, desserts, oyster bars and beer breweries all vying for your taste buds’ attention? You had Chinook Wines to Januik Winery to Tenor Wines to Willow Crest; from Duke’s Chowder House to El Gaucho and AQUA to Purple Cafe, all the best of Seattle and Washington State were there.
Surprisingly, the event was very well organized and felt more than spacious enough. Having a press VIP badge allowed us entry earlier than the general public, but even as the public sauntered in, there was a big sense of calm excitement over getting the opportunity to try Washington State’s best in class wine, food and more. I found that all the wineries, restaurants and other vendors were more than happy to educate, demonstrate and share their stories– this gave this event a very “foodie”-centric feel and made discerning connoisseurs to your average Joe an opportunity to learn while partaking.
